Prometheus
by fullvoid
Summary: Azula finds she cannot firebend after returning from prison rehabilitated. Zuko decides it is time to take her to see the masters. Is she doomed to die from the dragons her forefathers almost drove to extinction or will they share their secret of what makes a true firebender? One-shot.


_Prometheus_

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything._

_Enjoy! (And review!)_

I did not want to be here. But who could say no to their dear, older brother just trying to give a helping hand to his baby sister? I promptly rolled my eyes at this.

"_Azula, I went through the same thing you are going through right now. Let me help you!" Zuko exclaimed. He was beginning to get frustrated with my constant indifference and ignorance of his opinion. _

"_I told you Zuko, I am not some wimp who loses her firebending like you did. Now back away and I will show you a true master," I replied coldly whilst taking a basic firebending stance, prepared to hurl an basic fireball at the target in front of me. Yet just like the countless times earlier, only a diminutive trail of smoke came out of my fist. _

"_I'm truly impressed with your firebending prowess," Zuko sniggered._

_I gritted my teeth together and scowled at Zuko who could not help but to nearly fall to the ground in a fit of laughter at the irony of it all. Azula does not fail._

_After an hour of unsuccessful attempts at firebending, I dropped unceremoniously to the ground and put my face in my hands, letting out a childish cry of defeat. My clothes clung to my body from the layers of sweat on my body while my hair cascaded down my back in messy waves from my hands continually running through it. The training quad I was in started to spin due to my exhaustion and probable dehydration while under the blazing sun on this particularly hot, humid day._

_Zuko approached from behind me slowly and asked, "Have you given up yet?"_

"_Yes," I snarled in loss, "Take me to these masters of yours."_

Now here I am at some ancient ruins with my ancient Uncle. Well, actually, it was significantly better having Uncle as my companion on this trip than it was to have dear Zuzu. At least Uncle did not have to bring up my lack of ability to bend more than a miniscule flame every five minutes. Ever since my rehabilitation, Zuko has done everything to get on my nerves. I was tempted recently to leave the palace forever, find a job and buy my own house, if it meant getting away from my overbearing brother. Especially now that Mai has broken up with him, he seems to have nothing better to do than annoy me with his presence. I refuse to be his friend. He is my brother and there was not going to be anything else to it.

"Have I ever told you the story of the dragons, my niece?" Uncle rumbled next to me.

I sighed heavily before answering, "Perhaps once or twice. What does that have to do with anything we're doing now though?" I looked over at him but was only given a faint smile in return. Uncle and his riddles I thought, shaking my head in disapproval. If you wanted to tell someone something, say it outright. None of this wishy washy, philosophical, mumbo gumbo that spews from my Uncle's mouth whenever I would attempt to ask for a straightforward response.

The ancient city we were wandering through seemed to be alive to me. It always felt like I was being watched here. Various animals scurried about, large insects and birds flew through the air making noise, and in the distance I could make out a faint wisp of grey smoke that blew through the air. My eyebrows gently furrowed together at this discovery. These old buildings look like they have been abandoned for hundreds of years. That is when it dawned on me.

"_Now, class, please settle down," a teacher from in front of the room said firmly, causing my peers nearby to quiet. "Today we will be talking about the Ancient Sun Warriors and how without their bravery, we would never have learned the art of firebending from the dragons." _

_The students in the classroom all 'oohed' and 'aahed' whenever the teacher would pause in her dramatic retelling of the beginning, height, and the end of the Sun Warrior civilization. _

"…_some people say that they can still distantly see the smoke billowing out from where the first fire was given to man," the teacher finished. Collectively the entire class released a breath of air they were holding throughout the story, ultimately finding their friends and heading off to their next class. _

_I stayed rooted in my seat though. Unable to process this new information on the origin of firebending. Father always told me stories of our forefathers hunting, taming, and killing dragons to bring glory upon themselves and our family name. Yet how could they destroy a life so sacred and essential to our Nation?_

"I think I want to leave," I whispered suddenly, halting where I stood.

"You know where we're going," Uncle finished. I merely nodded, a nauseous feeling starting to grow deep in my stomach. I was going to die today, cruelly burned alive by Sun Warriors. "There is nothing to be worried about, Azula. I am sure the masters will see your change of heart and grant you the gift that was bestowed on me many years ago. Not only me but your brother and the Avatar years ago too."

Just after Uncle finished his sentence I felt the air thicken around me. We were being ambushed and I was helpless without my bending. Men and women appeared before us, clad in golden, red, and orange clothing with various designs of dragons and fire sewed delicately into it. A short man with a big, round belly stomped out of the line of warriors and took his place at the head of them, facing Uncle and I with a perplexed look.

"The Dragon of the West, I was wondering when I would be seeing you again," the man uttered before turning to me and adding, "Who did you bring with you?"

"Princess Azula," my Uncle replied, bowing deeply to the warrior, making a hand gesture my way as a request I do the same. The man strolled up to me casually while simultaneously eyeing me up and down.

"Ah, the infamous, fallen princess," the man stated. I blinked my eyes a few times and gulped. Suddenly the thought of going back to the cooler I spent years in sounded significantly better than being scrutinized by these people. The old Azula would have burned him for saying such a remark about her, but she was different now. She was more of a phoenix than father, as true rebirth took place surrounding her years in prison. Azula flourished out of the dark ashes of her past.

"Do you wish to meet the masters, Azula?" the warrior questioned me.

"Yes, please. It would be an honor," I responded nervously, attempting to keep the fear out of my voice. Azula was never fearful.

"Follow me."

The sun warrior turned and along with the others, led me to the area that the smoke I saw earlier was coming out of. We all climbed up the many steps to the fire. Halting in front of it, a warrior gently took the fire in his hand and holding it out, deposited in my open palms. The familiar life of the element pulsed in my hand and I could not help but to smile happily down at it.

"I reckon you know the significance of that flame," the man that handed me the fire told me. I merely nodded at him, continuing to stare down in at the flames as they flickered back and forth in the breeze.

"Now, go back down the steps and follow the path leading to the top of that mountain in the distance. Once there you will be greeted by the masters," a warrior instructed me.

Uncle and I descended the old, crumbling steps carefully. While concentrating on keeping my flame alive, I surveyed my surroundings with great interest. If I simply passed through here, I would have thought it was empty of life, yet life in this small city was just hidden. I felt a rush of wonderment at how these people have kept their lives unknown from the rest of the Fire Nation for so long.

"Zuko taught you a traditional fire bending move recently, correct?" Uncle asked me, startling me when he snapped me back to reality.

"Yes."

"Remember it."

That was all Uncle said the remainder of the journey to the mountain side. We made idle conversation while ascending the mountain side and for that I was grateful. The closer we got to the summit of the mountain, the more anxious I grew.

All too soon we made the final trek to the very top and I was greeted by what seemed to be the entire village. The short, round man that spoke to me previously stepped forward and told me to give him some of my flame that I kept nurtured. Obeying his command, I watched as it was handed across the great circle of warriors. Drums began to be brutally pounded while flutes and various other instruments started playing along with them in an intense, energetic tune. Everyone kept their eyes glued to me while I began hiking up the first steps up to what seemed to be a platform at the top.

When I finally made it to the top, I was breathing heavy and covered in a thin layer of sweat. The sun from this spot seemed so close I could touch it. It casted beautiful hues of pink and orange to the sky while it was setting on the horizon. The hills and plains on nearby lands and islands were covered in green grass with wild flowers blooming in time for the beginning of spring. It was breathtaking.

I turned to one of the cave openings and raised in eyebrows in surprise. What would master firebenders be doing residing in caves like animals? Then a blue pair of eyes appeared to be coming out the cave I was currently facing, while behind me a powerful cry travelled through the air and it all made sense. These masters were not humans. They were dragons.

A blue dragon came flying right next to me with speeds greater than anything I have ever seen. The dragon's powerful wings flapped up and down, causing the air around me to swirl and push against me, nearly knocking me down. A red one accompanied the blue one, my eyes opened up wide at the magnificence of the creatures before me. They circled around and around in each other as if dancing to the music playing below me. I stood there dumbfounded while I beheld the ancient firebenders. Then I remembered the firebending move Uncle brought up as we made our journey to these caves. Piecing together what I was supposed to do I began to do the moves as they were taught to me, swiftly going from one to the other while gazing at my partners.

When I ended with the last move the dragons stopped their circling, coming to a complete standstill and gazed at me. Their eyes searching my mind, heart, and soul. I panicked when I saw them breath in loudly, screaming in fear as they opened their jaws and released a hot gust of flames in my direction. However, instead of burning to a crisp a wide range of colors, some I have never seen before, were displayed around me. Swirling in and out of each other. Fire was beautiful and alive. The heat throbbed and vibrated around me as I gaped wide mouthed at what the dragons were presenting to me. It then clicked for me. Fire was life, not death.

Passion surged throughout my body as the fire died out around me and the dragons took one final look at me before promptly flying back into their caves. I stood there in amazement. All my life I was raised to use fire as a purely a weapon against my enemies, just an art of getting rid of those who were in my way.

Uncle appeared next to me, smiling fondly before giving a hearty laugh. This time, I actually gave a dazzling smile back.

"Now firebend, Azula," Uncle said, a twinkle in his eye.

I stepped forward and raised my fist, as I brought it out a blue flame erupted from my fist. My heart swelled with gratefulness towards not just the dragons but Uncle and Zuko as well, for sharing and trusting this ancient secret with me. After a few minutes of casting fireballs from the top of the platform, I descended the steps as a new person, never to misuse fire ever again.


End file.
